Cabinet for sheet-music.



No. 690,478. Patented Jan. 7, I902. 0. H. STEWART.

CABINET FUR SHEET MUSIC.-

(Application filed Aug. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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OTIS H. STEWART, OF MIDDLEPORT, OHIO.

CABINET FOR SHEET-MUSIC.

SPECIFICATION forming part a Letters Patent No. 690,478, dated January 7, 1902. Application filed August 12,1901. Serial No. 71,684. (No man.)

To all whom, it may concern.- 7 Be it known that I, OTIS H. STEWART, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middleport, Meigs county, State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Cabinet for Sheet-Music; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, and exact description of the invention, reference being also had to the ac companying drawings, with the reference-numerals marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to cabinets intended.

to serve as a receptacle for papers in form of sheets or folios-like music, for instance, or for other papers of similar form and size; and the object is to provide a cabinet wherein such papers may be kept flat and assorted in a manner to be readily and conveniently accessible as to any particular sheet and all protected from dust. In size such papers are substantially all alike, and if stacked they form a body in shape of a prism with a rectangular base. It is clear, therefore, that a cabinet intended to inclose a number of such papers so stacked would have to correspond in shape and size to such stack if constructed to conform to practical and economical requirements. For this reason my cabinet is constructed correspondingly, the resulting shape being that of a rectangular box or parallelepiped. As a means for access, which means at the same time permit of dust-proof closure, I have found a flexible sheet on the principle of a roll-cover the most suitable device, requiring also less space and forming less an obstruction when open than hinged doors would.

The leading feature of the invention is therefore acabinet of box shape which may be utilized to receive papers of the size referred to in the most economical manner and without waste of space and which for access is provided with means of closure which when the cabinet is closed form a part of its inclosing straight and parallel sides.

In the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims following is found a full description of the invention, together with its manner of use, parts, and construction, which latter is also illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of such a box-shaped cabinet, partly open. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same on line 2 2 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

The cabinet consists of two sides 5 5, substantially oblong and connected to each other at their rear by a back 6 and below by a bottom 7. As a support to rest on there are bars 8, connected to the lower edges of sides 5 5 and below bottom 7, preferably provided with cushions 9, of felt or like material, to prevent marring and injury to polished surfaces in case the cabinet is placed 011 such. The rear edge of bottom 7 does not meet back 6, but stops short thereof, leaving a space 10 between the two, and, further, a part of it near its front edge and indicated by 11 forms a separable section independent from the other part of the bottom, the object of which two features will be presently explained. The top and front of this cabinet are formed by a flexible sheet 12, supported in guidegrooves 13, provided on the innersurfaces of sides 5 5 and parallel to their top and front edges, so that part of this flexible sheet is held supported horizontally and parallel to the bottom, forming the top of the cabinet, and the other part is held at right angles thereto, forming the front of the cabinet. These grooves are also extended down near and parallel to the rear edges and forwardly nearand parallel to the lower edges of the sides, pass ing in front of back 6 and below bottom 7. It will now be seen that the flexible sheet may be moved in a manner to give access to the interior of the cabinet, as shown in Fig. 1, its rear edge passing then down in front'of back 6, through space 10, and forwardly below bottom 7. In addition to this movement this flexible sheet is also capable of a movement in reverse directionas, for instance, in case of an obstruction or disorder requiring removal, repairs, &JC. In such case the separable section 11 of the bottom is removed, after which the cover may be drawn down and out, the guide-grooves in front being for such purpose extended clear down to the lower edge of the sides, as shown at 14, providing an outlet thereat. It will now be seen that this cabinet presents an interior space above IOC a rectangular floor and of equal length and of substantially equal width throughout its entire height, such length and width being arranged and proportioned to suit the size of folios of music, which may be stacked Within to an extent practically filling the entire height of the cabinet in the most economical manuer,so that practically no space is wasted.

To facilitate assortment of the contents according to any desired system as to subjectmatter, title, or otherwise, I provide separating-sheets 15, having at their front edges suitable accessible tabs 16, indicating by letters of the alphabet or otherwise the character of the contents above it. At their rear edges these sheets are provided with eyes 17, engaging vertically-disposed rods 18, secured with their lower ends to bottom 7, near the rear edge thereof, and occupying with their upper ends when in position open hooks 19, secured to the inside of sides 5 5. Before these upper ends are so engaged eyes 17 of the separating-sheets are placed in position on the rods, the separating-sheets being arranged in the desired order one on top of the other. After these parts are all in position the separatingsheets may be readily raised and the spaces,

between them filled with sheet-music, folios, or other papers, as may be readily understood and which are now at all times conveniently accessible.

Near the lower edge of that part of the flexible sheet 12 which forms the straight front when the cabinet is closed there is a suitable handle 21 to allow the operator to conveniently move the flexible sheet into an open position, as described, and shown in Fig. 1, or back into a closed position, as shown in Fig. 3. It is understood that by arranging the grooves 13 in the manner described a complete opening of the cabinet may be obtained upon pushing the flexible sheet into a position rendering the front and also the top of the cabinet open for access to allow of conveniently manipulating the sheets 15 to reach the desired sheet-music.

The cabinet is very convenientin shape and is arranged to accommodate a large quantity of sheet-music and to allow of keeping the same assorted according to title and to keep She same perfectly flat and protected against ust.

Having described my invention, I claim as new- 1. A rectangular structure in shape substantially of a box or parallelepiped, consisting of two sides, a back and a bottom, the sides being connected by said back and bottom, there being also a space 10 between these two latter at the lower rear edge of the structure, vertical and horizontal guide-grooves in the inner surface of the sides near their front and upper edges and parallel to said edges, a flexible sheet fitted with its edges into these guide-grooves and held within them so that when in its closed position, one of its parts forms the upright front and the other, at right ce ars angles thereto, forms the horizontal top of the rectangular cabinet, inclosin g a space adapted to be filled with rectangular sheets of substantially equal size, said guidegrooves extending also in front of the back and parallel thereto and forward again below and parallel to the bottom and adapted to receive when access to the cabinet is desired, part or all of this flexible sheet, which otherwise forms front and top of the cabinet, said sheet moving then in these extended guide-grooves down in front of the back and through the space between the latter and the rear edge of the bottom and forwardly below this latter, upright rods attached with their lower ends to the bottom near its rear edge and with their upper ones to the sides, rectangular separating-sheets all of equal size fitted to substantially fill out in a horizontal plane the interior space of the structure and perforations near their rear edges whereby they are held to the upright rods in a manner to prevent their displacement horizontally, but leaving them free to be adjusted vertically to any position between top and bottom.

2. A box-shaped structure, consisting of two rectangular sides provided on their inner surface with guide-grooves all around and parallel to their edges, a back and a bottom connecting, them, a flexible sheet fitted to occupy the guide-grooves mentioned and forming, when the cabinet is closed, its front and top, each parallel respectively to back and bottom of the cabinet, a part of the bottom near its front edge being separate from the other part, forming a removable section 11, the vertical guide-groovesthereat being continued downwardly to form an outlet 14: in front, for the flexible sheet, permitting its re moval therethrough, rectangular separatingsheets, all of equal size fitted to substantially fill the interior of the cabinet and vertical rods whereby these sheets are horizontally confined, but left free for vertical adjustment.

3. A cabinet for sheet-music consisting of the approximately rectangular-shaped sides 5, 5, each provided on its inner face with a groove extending along the front, top, back and bottom edges, the lower end of the front portion of the groove and the front end of the lower portion of the groove being at right angles to each other, the back 6 secured to the sides and havingits upper end terminating short of the upper ends of the sides, thebars 8, secured to the lower edges of the sides, the bottom 7 secured between the sides above the bottom portions of the grooves, the bottom having its front edge extending beyond the front portions of the grooves, and its rear edge terminating short of the rear portions of the grooves and back 6, producing a space 10 thereat, the flexible cover 12 mounted in the grooves of the sides, the cover when ina closed position resting upon the bottom and forming the front, top and a portion of the back of the cabinet, vertical rods secured to the bottom near its rear edge and open hooks 19 secured to sides 5, 5, and with which the upper ends of the said rods are to be engaged, substantially as described.

4. A cabinet for sheet-music, consisting of the approximately rectangular-shaped sides 5, 5, each provided on its inner face with a groove extending along the front, top, back and bottom edges, the lower end of the front portion of the groove and the front end of the bottom portion of the groove being at right angles to each other, the back 6 secured to the sides and having its upper end terminating short of the upper ends of the sides, the bottom 7 secured between thesides above the bottom portions of the groove, the bottom 

